Bus safety team attending 50 incidents a month

Thursday, 24 October 2024

The customer support officers, from security company First Security, travel on different routes across the Metro network.

On board public bus “support officers” are attending about 50 incidents a month in Canterbury on their mission to make the network safer.

Roughly three of those (5%) are physical assault incidents, while another seven (15%) are verbal assaults.

Have you experienced any incidents on Canterbury’s buses? Email reporters@press.co.nz

The majority of surveyed Christchurch bus drivers want to see the on board customer support team stay.

About 32 incidents (65%) each month involved generally intimidating behaviour such as shouting rude things on the bus or putting feet up on seats.

The customer support team is de-escalating antisocial behaviour which the majority of surveyed bus drivers would like to see continue, Environment Canterbury (ECan) councillors heard during a six month update into the team’s one-year trial on Thursday.

The team was assembled in April at a cost of $1.3 million annually. It is made up of 11 support officers from First Security, eight of who ride buses daily monitoring the network.

The six month report, presented by public transport operations manager Derek Walsh, said 70% of drivers would like to see the team retained following the one year trial.

Of the 40% of the public who recorded they were aware of the team’s presence, 75% were positive about it.

Walsh said the team also “provide a very good deterrent effect”, suggesting further incidents that may have taken place did not with the team present, although that was something they could not quantify.

Most of the 11 ECan councillors present at the Annual Plan 2025/26 Public Transport workshop discussion supported the team’s kaupapa (cause).

The team help direct people to the correct buses and stops as well as responding to antisocial behaviour.

Councillor Grant Edge said people would be anxious in the light of a woman being fatally stabbed on a bus in Auckland's Onehunga on Wednesday.

“People need reassurance that somebody is looking out for them,” Edge said.

Councillor Peter Scott thought the team was “one of the better initiatives that we’ve had”. He said the bus interchange felt safer than it did two years ago with the team’s presence.

But the team still did not have the backing from councillor Claire McKay, who thought the $1.3m price tag was “very expensive security” and could be repurposed into other transport projects.

ECan councillor Claire McKay was not convinced the customer support team was “good value for money”.

“I think this is a sad indictment on society that we have to do this,” she said. “I didn’t support it at the start either and I’m not convinced this is good value for money.”

Chairperson Craig Pauling agreed it cost “a big amount of money” but reminded the room it was in relation to 14.5 million trips across the bus network.

“Fifty incidents per month is quite significant, so I support it,” he said.

Amalgamated Workers’ Union New Zealand secretary and public transport advocate Lyndsay Chappell said he had heard anecdotally from Christchurch drivers there were less incidents on buses since the team started.

“It’s obviously working,” he said.

The most common disturbance drivers encountered was from “unruly people”, sometimes under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and it was not uncommon for drivers to be regularly spat at, harassed or pushed, Chappell said.

Councillors who shared support were Grant Edge, Greg Byrnes, Joe Davies, Peter Scott, John Sunckell, Iaean Cranwell, and Paul Dietsche. Vicky Southworth, Nick Ward, and Pauling showed support while expressing interest for possible cost savings to be made.

Councillor Claire McKay remained firmly against it because of cost.

The service will be in place for at least one year until it is decided if it will continue.